People Are Becoming So Insensitive...

I found yet another post on my Facebook newsfeed that I didn't quite agree with, this is what was posted: 

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"This was written by a 21 yr old female who gets it. It's her future she's worried about and this is how she feels about the social welfare system that she's being forced to live in! These solutions are just common sense in her opinion.

Put me in charge . . ..

Put me in charge of food grants. I'd get rid of cash for potato chips or chocolate. Instead there'd just be money for the staple foods like bread, milk, potatoes, fresh vegies, cheese and all the powdered milk you can haul away. If you want steak, pies and take-out pizza, then get a job.

Put me in charge of Healthcare. The first thing I'd do is to provide women with birth control implants or tubal ligations. Then, we'll test recipients for drugs, alcohol, and nicotine and document all existing tattoos and piercings. If you want to reproduce or use drugs, alcohol, smoke or get more tats and piercings, then get a job.

Put me in charge of government housing. Ever live in a military barracks?
You will maintain our property in a clean and good state of repair. Your "home" will be subject to inspections at anytime and possessions will be inventoried. If you want a plasma TV or Xbox 360, then get a job and your own accommodation.

Put me in charge of compulsory job search. In addition, you will either present a cheque stub from a job each week or you will report to a "government" job.

It may be cleaning the roadways of trash or painting and repairing public housing, whatever we find for you. We will sell your 22 inch rims and low profile tyres and your blasting stereo and speakers and put that money toward the "common good".

Now before you respond that I've violated someone's rights, realize that all of the above is voluntary. If you want our money, accept our rules. Before you say that this would be "demeaning" and ruin their "self esteem", consider that it wasn't that long ago that taking someone else's money for doing absolutely nothing was demeaning and lowered self esteem.
If we are expected to pay for other people's mistakes we should at least attempt to make them learn from their bad choices.

The current system rewards them for continuing to make bad choices.

AND while you are on Gov't subsistence, you no longer can VOTE! Yes that is correct. For you to vote would be a conflict of interest.....You will vote for a "welfare" Gov't. only. You will voluntarily remove yourself from voting while you are receiving a Gov't welfare cheque. If you want to vote, then get a job."
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I agree with some points, such as the first one about food grants. I am all for ensuring that we all eat healthier and especially if these people on welfare are getting money for food they should use it to make sure that they (and their families) are eating well and being healthy.

By the second paragraph it starts to get a little off topic. I agree that women should have birth control provided (although the kind of birth control should be optional and have more than just a couple choices), and I also agree that testing for drugs and excessive alcohol consumption should be tested for but documenting all tattoo's and piercings seems a little over the top. Why would they need documentation of these things? If the government were worried that they're spending the money they're getting on body modification they shouldn't be. Tattoo's and piercings don't come cheap, and I'm sure that if it came down to buying food and paying bills vs. getting a new tattoo/piercing the person would choose their needs over their wants. If the documentation is a health-related issue, I still see no reason to fuss over it, it's their own body and they have the freedom to express themselves in whichever way that they want. Basically saying "no, we will not give you birth control (or money) because you have many tattoos/piercings is stereotyping, it is unfair and it is wrong. 

In the third paragraph it starts to get even more ridiculous, I agree that if you're having your cost of living covered without working you should have to regularly do maintenance on the house and keep it clean and in good shape, but to actually go into someone's home and inspect it is a violation of people's privacy. I keep my house clean majority of the time and have nothing to hide but I would still be uncomfortable with someone coming into my home and judging me. It would just put stress on me and make me feel like I'm uncomfortable in my own home. Also, taking an inventory of all of someone's possessions isn't right either, that's not your business what someone has, what if they were to receive a gift or win a new TV? 

By the fourth paragraph it gets a little bit better and then a little bit worse, I definitely agree that if someone is able to work but just out of a job that they should be looking for work and having someone to push them to find work, and I even agree that if they don't have a job they can work "government" jobs such as cleaning up trash on highways, painting or repairing public housing. Those are all things that would need to be done anyway and it would not only give these people purpose to get up every day and accomplish something but it would also benefit the community as well. Directly after this wonderful idea though, it says that they will sell your expensive possessions because you don't have a job therefore you don't need it. If someone wanted the extra money they would sell those things themselves and the government has no right to take those things away anyway. What if it was something you got for yourself before you went on Welfare, when you had a job? What if it was also a gift, or won? Just because someone is poor does not mean that they deserve to have everything nice they ever earned taken away from them so that they have nothing, that's depressing. 

In the last bit of the post, the conclusion, it says that all of this shouldn't be considered violating someone's rights because it's all voluntary, and the reason why these people are on welfare is because they made "bad choices" but that's not true at all. A lot of the time, bad things happen to good people, people lose their jobs every day because there are less jobs and more cut backs. Let me share something with you, growing up, my mom and I were on welfare. It's not because she was lazy, or because she wanted to just live off of the government, it's because she couldn't. I often heard her talk about how she missed working. I am not 100% sure why she originally had to go on welfare but I know her poor health played a big part in it and it takes a long time to apply for disability and get accepted and etc. I can bet you that the author that wrote this opinion has never had to be on welfare or have serious issues making ends meet. I know this because of the desire to take the "nice" things that these poor people have and sell them or get rid of them or keep track of them. Here's a truth for you instead; most people on welfare do NOT have nice things. I remember when I was growing up I never had anything that was "cool" or "in", I took what was given to me and I was grateful for it. Not having anything made me learn to appreciate the small things in life, but that doesn't mean that we should take away everything nice that these people own. Some people need to have something nice to make them happy, if you take that away you're taking away hope. I understand the concept of "if you want something nice then work for it", I've worked for everything I have now, like my laptop, my cell phone, my first camera, my first iPod and other major purchases. I wanted them so I got a job and worked for them and it felt so much better than having them given to me because that object was proof of my success and achievements, and this person wants to take away those items that represent past accomplishments? No, let them keep them as a reminder that they worked hard for something once, and they can do it again, it's aspirational. 

Lastly, the final paragraph saying that all rights to vote are thrown out the window when you go on welfare is BEYOND wrong. Many people in history have had to fight for the right to vote and you're wanting to take that right away in exchange for some money? You want to know what that sounds like to me? It sounds like that if the government were to take all of these ideas and put them into action, they'd be scared that people would quickly realize it's not a fair trade and want things to change, but the only people who would realize this is the people who are being treated unfairly because they are on welfare. Those people would not be able to vote therefore not being able to try to make a change for the better and are under the government's complete control and become prisoners to them. (Just for the record, I have a job and support myself but I would still vote against getting rid of rights for people who are on welfare). I can clearly see that the opinion above was written by someone ignorant who has never had struggle in their life, and has never had things thrown at them that were out of their control. It seriously bothers me that people are becoming so selfish and stereotypical that they can become so insensitive to others and want them to suffer even more than they already are. Basically what this opinion says is that if someone has already lost their job, their money, their pride along with other things they should also have their rights, their possessions and any chance of happiness taken away from them as well so they're left with nothing. Come on now people, THINK ABOUT IT. 

Be Strong!

I saw this post on my Facebook newsfeed and I have a few things to say about it. 

I know these feelings very well, and I'm sure a lot of people do. But the thing that we have to realize when we're thrown in a terrible situation is that we are going to feel this way regardless. Even when you're trying really hard just to be happy there are going to be times when you can't stop yourself from feeling down, and that's totally normally and it's okay. Most of the time when we're in a bad situation our friends or family or peers will just tell us to get out of it. Sometimes, it's not that easy and you really are stuck, at least temporarily anyway. But there are a few things we need to realize: 

1) It's okay to ask for help, if someone is really truly a good person they will help you and asking for help doesn't make you a needy or a bad person, it makes you human. I know I have some issues with asking for help, I'd rather do things on my own. It's not that I don't want or need help, I just simply don't like asking people for things. So, I understand that other people probably feel this way too but things will move a lot faster and go a lot smoother if you take someone's hand when they reach out to you. 

2) It's okay to miss people or things, it's part of human nature. People do not like change, they like knowing everything and having routines that they follow so when something changes we're left feeling like we're lost and we wish we could just go back to when you were aware of how everything worked and when you were able to predict how things were going to go for the most part. But, there's a reason why we are no longer where we were and to miss things for too long can get out of hand. It's okay to remember the past but do not dwell on it. 

3) Don't just dream of a life you never think you'll have. If you figure out exactly what you want the next step is to figure out how to get there. It may seem impossible at first but all you need to do is create a series of goals for yourself. Work backwards. Figure out your long term goals (5+ years from now) first and then create mid-term goals (2-5 years) to help you get to your long term ones and then lastly, create short-term (days - 2 years) to help you get to the mid term ones. By working backwards you're ensure that you're following a path to get you exactly where you want to go. Be very specific and keep your dream in your head all the time, and constantly work for it, and you will achieve it. Nothing is impossible unless you tell yourself it is. 

4) If you're wishing you want to start all over again then do it. Nothing is stopping you from starting a new life, creating a new you with new ways of seeing things, handling things and feeling. Sometimes we're torn down completely, and this is a perfect time to rebuild and become an even better person. 

5) I know that when you feel so terrible you wonder why these things are happening and wonder what you did to deserve something so bad. You don't deserve to feel terrible but if you think about it, we learn most from these bad situations and become stronger people. Instead of looking at it as something horrible, think of it as a learning experience, I know it sounds totally cliché but it's true. 

Anyways, that about covers what I had to say, and I hope that this helps someone else see things more positively. I've been in quite a few bad situations but here I am still learning and growing every day and becoming a stronger, more successful person. Just don't be too hard on yourself and keep your chin up even in the worst of times. <3 

Don't Just Shoot For The Moon, Land On It.

How many times in our lives have we been asked where we want to be in say 10 years from now, or 20 years or so on? Probably at least a few hundred times. We get asked by our teachers, our parents, our friends, our peers and our answer usually changes through out the years. I personally have known what I want to do since before I was in high school. I want to work with young children, and I want to do this because no matter how frustrated I may get with them or if they do something bad, minutes later I find myself laughing. They always keep a smile on my face, and in my heart. I love how children question everything and see no reason not to question it. I love how everything is exciting and they're always having fun. So, back to my original point, I know what I want to do career wise, and have for a long time. I also know how I'm going to get there which would be applying to colleges for the ECE program, going through the program for the 2 years and then hopefully finding a career in that field shortly after. But, recently I had to do an assignment about goals for an elective college credit that I'm taking (to get ahead of the game before I get to college). When I first skimmed through the assignment I figured "huh, easy enough, I know exactly where I want to be!" but it's harder than that because it required so much detail. For example, for the short-term goal part of the assignment (the instructions were to pick one of the mid-term goals I had came up with and make short-term goals in order to achieve the mid-term one, yo dawg I heard you like goals) and one of my short term goals was this  "I will obtain my OSSD by July 2013 by completing the 3 necessary credits I have left in order to graduate." When I got my mark back I got asked to be more specific on that. I had no idea how to be more specific, I was thinking "I just wanna graduate so that I can go to college so that I can have a career, come on now!" That's when I realized that I know where I want to be and sort of how I am going to get there but I did not now the exact steps I was going to take, I was just going to end up "winging it". I then sat down and really thought hard and came up with this. "I will obtain my OSSD with a grade average of at least 75% by July 2013 by completing the 3 necessary credits I have left in order to graduate and gain at least 2 college credits through the program at the high school that I am already enrolled in so I can get a head start on my postsecondary education and get a feel for what college is like." 

The point is that once I sat down and was forced to think of exactly where I want to be and exactly how I am going to get there (not want, am) I was more determined and excited to get there and it made me want to work harder to achieve my goal in the present. I'm not sure about everyone else but I realized that I often had no clue what was going to come next and I would just wait for life to throw something at me and figure out a way to deal with it. Now, I feel like I am in control of my life. I am aware that I have options to choose from and many choices to make and the only way I'll get to where I want to be is if I grab hold of the wheel and steer myself in the right direction. Now, I'm looking back and wondering "what was I waiting for? Everything I want has been within my reach I just never tried to grab it." But now I've got a firm grip and I'm ready to get going. 

The reason why I'm sharing this story is because I hope that maybe someone reading this might learn something or it may give someone the motivation to reach for their futures too, I would love to know that something I said has changed someone else's life positively. But also, I am sharing this so that maybe one day when I feel like losing hope I will come across this, and it will restore my motivation, my inspiration and my drive and I can get back up and try again. 

There's a saying that goes "shoot for the moon, even if you miss you'll still land among the stars". But why stop at just the stars? It will be worth it to push that extra mile to get to the moon and you'll feel one hundred percent better. Just never give up. 

Weeee make up!

Been playing with make up for a few days. :)

Live, Every Day.

I've never been able to grasp the concept of death, when I think about someone I know or once knew, I can't picture this world without them in it, and once they're gone my mind cannot believe that they're actually gone. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, that part of me still believes that they're here (in our hearts, memories etc) but the one thing that I find the most strange is how people as a whole deal with death. Instantly when you hear of someone who passed away you start thinking of all of the things you once did together, the things you said to them and how you overall interacted with them, you recall memories. Then, you start wondering if there was anything that you wanted to say or do but didn't and you begin regretting not acting on it when you still had the chance. Here's the part that just blows my mind though, even though we feel this way when dealing with death, we do not feel this way as often in life. Instead of saying the things we want to say or taking a chance and doing the things we want to do with our friends or even our peers we don't even give it a thought, we do not live life to it's fullest and take advantage of every opportunity that arises. We do not think about "what if I never see this person again, what if I never even get to say goodbye?" I believe that we should always show our true feelings to others, even if it's scary, it's okay to be afraid. I once said that we should never live each day as it's our last, we should live it like it's our first because if you treat every day like every experience is new to you, you will learn to appreciate life more. But I also believe that we should treat every day as if it might be someone else's last, because you never know. We should take chances and risks, and make sure that our loved ones always know how we feel, we should be compassionate and emotional and express ourselves as often as possible. When the day comes where my life comes to an end I want the people that I love to know just how much I loved them and that I treasure every moment I have ever had with them. I want the people who made a difference in my life to know that they made a difference and that they taught me something to help me become the person that I am. This is the reason why I do not like going to bed angry, I like all issues or problems that arise to be solved quickly and handled well. You never know when the last time you see someone might be, and you never want the last thing you say to them to be a negative thing. 

Just my thought for today, I hope it made you think a little.